[11/2/04]Katherine Bailess has landed a recurring role on the WB’s “Gilmore Girls” and will appear in an episode that airs tonight.

The show, currently in its fifth season, is described as a multigenerational series about friendship, family and the ties that bind.

Bailess, a 1998 graduate of St. Aloysius High School in Vicksburg, now lives in Los Angeles. She received her bachelor of fine arts degree from Marymount Manhattan College in New York, where she majored in dance and minored in musical theater.

On the WB series, the two lead characters are Rory Gilmore (Alexis Bledel), a sophomore at Yale University, and her mother, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham), still in the family’s hometown in Connecticut. The theme is how the two handle life’s situations day-by-day as mother and daughter and also as best friends.

Bailess’ character, “Stephanie,” was introduced in last week’s episode as a mystery character. In tonight’s episode Rory finds out more about this mysterious girl who first appeared in a gorilla mask.

“At first I was just called Gorilla Girl.’ Now I have a name, which is a big deal. The basic gist of my character is I’m the one girl with four other guys who are all active in a secret society called the Life and Death Brigade,” said Bailess, 24.

“Rory is editor of the Yale’s student newspaper and is looking for an interesting story to write. She finds out about us through her friend, Logan, who is also a member of the society, and in tonight’s episode she actually goes with us to a meeting,” she said.

Bailess said she won’t appear in another episode for the next few weeks, but was pleased about being cast.

“I had actually never watched the show, and after I auditioned and found out I got it about a month ago, I started watching it,” she said. “I love it! It’s so upbeat, super fast-paced and witty. It’s a show that can appeal to a pretty broad audience. Hopefully my character will become friends with Rory and I could appear on more shows.”

Bailess previously starred as Alexa in the movie “From Justin to Kelly” in 2003 with “American Idol” stars Kelly Clarkson and Justin Guarini and appeared as reporter Colleen Lipman in “Bring It On Again.”

She has also appeared in independent films such as “The Bootlegger,” “The Champion” and “Failed Relationship,” and danced in the 1999 MTV Video Music Awards and The Miss Mississippi Pageant.

Bailess is the daughter of Bobby and Natalie Bailess of Vicksburg.